Popular Psychology, Self-Help Culture and the Happiness Industry

Multidisciplinary Academic Network

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the ways in which psychotherapeutic narratives shape institutions, social processes and lived experiences in everyday life. This network seeks to bring together scholars with a shared interest in these themes, for discussions, events and joint publications.

Across the past three decades, there has been a growing scholarly interest in exploring the intersections between psychological knowledge, psychotherapeutic interpretations of social relationships, and everyday experiences and practices of social life. Long-established lines of enquiry, such as the critical analysis of self-help cultures, have remained central to these debates. At the same time, now areas of enquiry and analytical frameworks have emerged, notably, for instance, through recent interest in the transnational ‘happiness industry’ that has crystallised at the juncture of self-help culture, health, therapy and pharmaceutics, positive psychology, happiness economy, advertising and marketing. While these debates have tended to focus on the Global Northwest and in particular the USA, there is now also a growing body of research on these issues in other world regions. However, this research has remained dispersed, and it has so far not developed into a distinctive sub-field of sociological and anthropological enquiry.

It is therefore our aim to bring together scholars from multiple disciplines with a common interest in the outlined issues. Through an informal study group, we aim to facilitate debate and joint enquiries into topics such as:​

Ideology, citizenry, subject formation, and the politics of happiness and popular psychology

Self-branding, authenticity, emotions, and the commodification of the self

Happiness and emotions in new technologies, spatial design, and social networks